Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault deflected responsibility Thursday for several electoral irregularities in the April 28 federal election, including 822 uncounted mail-in ballots in Coquitlam, B.C.

Perrault stated that they are implementing controls to immediately detect errors like the Coquitlam incident, which he attributed to employees.

Conservative MP Tako van Popta questioned 822 ballots in 74 contests, which Elections Canada confirmed did not alter riding outcomes. Van Popta called the misplaced votes “inexplicable.” It prompted an apology from the federal agency.

.@ElectionsCan_E chief blames staff for misplacing 822 ballots in Coquitlam, BC as House affairs committee opens hearings into irregularities: "A ballot box got lost. How can that possibly happen?"  https://t.co/Xi1YGSeuSO @TakoVanPopta @cef_cce pic.twitter.com/iKTKlsg5cx

— Blacklock's Reporter (@mindingottawa) October 3, 2025

Elections Canada's Report On The 45th General Election noted 467 displaced mail-in ballots in two ridings. Other issues included incorrect return addresses in Terrebonne, Quebec, where a Liberal won by one vote, and unannounced poll closures in Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik-Eeyou, Quebec, which also led to a Liberal win.

Perrault stated the Nunavik incident investigation is complete, with findings forthcoming. He noted that in that instance, inclement weather is expected in regions like Nunavik and that last-minute deployment of election workers “is a risky proposition.”

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Conservative MP Michael Kram observed the Elections Canada website crashed on April 28 after 7 p.m. ET, while polls were still open, impacting access to poll locations.

“What exactly went wrong?” asked MP Kram. “There was a failure of a firewall set up by a private partner that provides the web services for us,” replied Perrault. Managers have “introduced protocols where we will be monitoring the pre-election tests,” he said.

Bloc Québécois MPs are demanding parliamentary scrutiny of Elections Canada due to random poll closures and discounted mail-in ballots.

READ MORE: https://t.co/d42ti8xnf3 pic.twitter.com/5Q2z635b9l

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) June 4, 2025

When asked for remedies, Perrault pledged that Elections Canada would aim to prevent future misplacement of ballot boxes, as Blacklock's reported. He admitted that “Some of those ridings were fairly close,” but did not address the Liberal's single-vote win in Terrebonne, Quebec.

Perrault earlier admitted to “unfortunate” irregularities, including late ballots, in the 2021 general election, testifying to this at 2022 House affairs committee hearings.

“In the case of Coquitlam, we have a situation where there was confusion about the process,” said Perrault. “We had a team there that worked provincially and was confused with the different rules.”

“This is something that ought to have been understood,” he continued. “It is very clear in our material.”

Further controversy surfaced as Elections Canada rejected 43,455 mail-in ballots received after the April 28 election's 6 p.m. Eastern deadline, Blacklock’s reported. The agency didn't specify ridings, and it's unknown if these late ballots affected results in an election that led to four judicial recounts.

Elections Canada claimed it couldn't confirm if mail-in ballots were sent with sufficient time for return, stating they lack “tracking mechanisms” for daily special ballot kit dispatches.

The Terrebonne recount resulted in a one-vote Liberal majority over the Bloc Québécois, the closest federal campaign outcome since 1963. The Bloc is challenging this in court. 

During the last federal election, former Terrebonne point-of-service supervisor Mario Sabourin stated in a court affidavit that he mistakenly wrote his own postal code instead of the polling station's on pre-paid envelope labels.

Sabourin “immediately rectified the situation by printing new labels” with the correct postal code for the remaining kits and destroying those with the wrong address. He reportedly mishandled 40 to 60 ballots and did not warn his superior Claude Martel.